Page 31 of Mutual Desire

Damien was surprised to find himself smiling as the waitress grinned shyly, clearly taken by Nick’s charm.

“What my boyfriend really means is that just like me, he’ll have the number three on the steak menu. Right, cutie pie?” Damien quipped, playfully placing a hand on Nick’s and, for good measure, bringing it to his lips for an exaggerated, lingering kiss.

Nick gaped at Damien, looking like he had just been personally betrayed on a deep, spiritual level. The waitress raised an eyebrow, glancing between them, waiting for clarification.

Nick, still stunned, didn’t say a word—his gaze fixed on Damien, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Um…” the waitress started, clearly flustered.

Nick shot Damien a glare, but he couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto his face.

“I’ll…um…bring you your food,” the waitress mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper as she grabbed the menus and fled.

“You asshole!” Nick exclaimed once she was gone.

“Both of your reactions were priceless,” Damien laughed.

After a few seconds, Nick joined in, their laughter echoing through the restaurant, drawing the attention of nearby customers.“You know me, D. I’m always up for a challenge,” Nick replied, confidence lighting up his face.

In the end, Damien chose to remain silent about the software. Surprisingly, he kept his mouth shut even as they shared a bottle of wine,then later returned to After Five for shots, just like they had the night before.The alcohol loosened his tongue, but the truth still eluded him. He couldn't bring himself to voice what needed to be said. He dreaded seeing that hurt expression on Nick’s face. There had to be another way. He needed to find a way to sway Nabokov’s decision. He had to.

“Oh! I’m full. I’ll finally be able to shit properly today,” Nick declared, stretching as they reached the underground parking lot.

Damien shook his head, laughing despite himself. He noticed the garage was nearly empty; half the cars had vanished.

“I’m heading back to my office. I have a few things to finish,” Nick added while approaching Damien.

Damien glared at his best friend. He felt murderously frustrated.

“If you knew you were going back to your office, why didn’t we take my car? I could have dropped you off at the entrance without needing to come back here.”

A grin spread across Nick’s face. “Because your car’s a deathtrap. I love you, D, but I’m not going to my grave in your junker.”

Damien rolled his eyes. What had he done to deserve a friend like Nick? He glared playfully. “You’re insufferable and you know what? I don’t like you at all.”

Nick laughed, full and loud. “I’m the one who turned you gay. Admit it. You clearly have wet dreams about me.”

“The only wet dreams I have of you involve several elephants going at it Doggystyle on you.”

Nick doubled over with laughter. “That’s just repressed fantasies, and you know it because you imagine yourself in the elephants’ place.”

“I swear, Nicolas, if you don’t get the fuck—”

Nick laughed hysterically, his jovial mood echoing through the parking lot. He strolled toward a doorway, still laughing, before finally disappearing from Damien’s view.

Nick truly was a pain in the ass, and if Damien had told him as much, he probably would’ve fired back with some smart-ass remark—probably something insufferably witty just to piss him off. As Damien settled into his car, a text from Craig pinged on his phone.

Babe, where are you?

Damien’s mind froze for a moment, unsure how to respond. Telling the truth didn’t seem like a good idea. Craig, who wasn’t fond of Nick, would not be pleased with them spending time together today. That could lead to a fight, and Damien wasn’t in the mood for that, especially after their recent reconciliation.

At the garage.

As soon as he sent the message, regret washed over him. He’d never lied to Craig before, and doing so for something so trivial felt ridiculous. Impulsiveness can be a real curse sometimes.

Made pasta.

Despite his guilt, Damien couldn’t help but smile at Craig’s message.

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